Engineering student takes on wilderness challenge

Conor Gould, pictured receiving the 2018 New Colombo Plan China Fellow Award from Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, is facing a new challenge in New Zealand this week.

Bachelor of Engineering student Conor Gould has stepped off a plane in New Zealand and into an adventure in innovation.

The Griffith student is among a group of leaders taking part in Venturer Mission this week where bright sparks active in Queensland’s innovation ecosystem face the physical and mental challenges of the wilderness.

Apart from the destination and a list of equipment to pack, it’s very much a leap of faith for the group which will have no connection to technology and the daily routines of life from March 19-26.

“Through the experience, the group develops resilience, teamwork skills, and invaluable people-to-people relationships that strengthen Queensland’s community of innovation,” Conor said.

The Venturer Program is run by the Queensland Office of the Chief Entrepreneur and its aim is to get people active in Queensland’s innovation ecosystem.

“Drawing parallels with entrepreneurship, you never know what’s coming, so you have to be adaptable,” Conor says.

“You learn a lot about yourself when you push past that initial barrier of exhaustion. You learn that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. Accomplishing things as a team will be even more rewarding.

“I think it will provide me with an opportunity to take a step back and think about things with a little more clarity.”

Successful innovators

Prior to departure Conor was looking forward to meeting and teaming up with ambitious and optimistic leaders. “It will be fantastic getting to know each of them and learning about the mindset that successful innovators adopt when executing ideas.”

An active student who is connected with a number of organisations at university, Conor Gould was also named a 2018 New Colombo Plan China Fellow.

He is keen to bring his experience from Venturer Mission back to Griffith University where he believes the environment of innovation is quickly developing through the success of the [email protected] teams, the establishment of the Yunus Social Business Centre, and the growth of student clubs like Griffith ENACTUS and Griffith Uni Start-Up Entrepreneurs Club.

“Innovation happens when people dare to think differently and work hard to solve an issue they care about. Not all problems are obvious or easy to solve, so there’s definitely an element of creativity and curiosity.”

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